Windows Live SkyDrive Enters Beta

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Microsoft has begun what appears to be an open beta test of the Windows Live SkyDrive service. This is a web-based file storage and sharing system that gives you 500MB of free online storage. Those following the service’s development probably know it by its former name, Windows Live Folders.

I tried it out briefly and it shows promise, though there are a few minor annoyances. The biggest issue seems to be that it’s built around your Windows Live ID (aka Passport), so you sign in with a passport/Live ID account. That in itself is not a problem. But you have folders set up that are only accessible by you, private folders, and folders that anyone on the Internet can access. In order to give someone permission to access one of your private folders, you need to check a little box next to their name on a list that is populated by your Live contacts. In other words, you can only share files (privately, anyway) with people who have their own Live ID and are on your contacts list in either Live Mail or Live Messenger.

Outside of that, it so far appears to work as advertised. It is not limited to working only with Internet Explorer—I used Firefox just fine. It should work on a Mac as well. There appear to be no limits to the type of files you can upload. There is one feature limited to IE, though: You have the option of installing an ActiveX control to drag and drop files into folders, allowing you to bypass the usual form-based upload that is limited to five files at a time.

The interface is pretty intuitive, just click on a folder and simple links up top allow you to add files, create a new folder, send a folder as a link (or use this to get a standard HTML link you can use in any web page to point to your files), or access “Folder Options” to change permissions, rename, or delete folders.

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